Bitch Media - X-Menhttp://bitchmagazine.org/taxonomy/term/4735/0
en"X-Men: Days of Future Past" Rewrites the Comic's Original Storyline to be More Male-Centrichttp://bitchmagazine.org/x-men-days-of-future-past-film-review-feminist-kitty-pryde-mystique
<p><img src="/sites/default/files/u2583/x_men_days_of_future_past_movie.jpg" alt="x-men movie poster" width="670" height="411" /></p>
<p>The X-Men series proves to be a franchise that, like its most iconic protagonist, regenerates. On the face of it, <em>X-Men: Days of Future Past</em> is one of the more enjoyable superhero movies of the last few years. Director Bryan Singer pulls together two sides of a series using a time travel cliché, yet somehow makes the plotline seem not just acceptable but actually fun.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In the “near future,” a Holocaust-esque extermination forces mutants underground and brings Professor X (Patrick Stewart/James McAvoy) and Magneto (Ian McKellen/Michael Fassbender) together as part of the resistance. They send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back to 1973 to get their past selves—one who’s given up hope and another who’s given up freedom—to find shape-shifting Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) before her DNA can be used to engineer the weapons now used to target and kill all mutants. Like its 2011 predecessor, <em>X-Men First Class</em>, <em>Days of Future Past</em> thrives on kitsch. Wolverine wakes up in 1973 face-to-face with a lava lamp and his polyester shirt and bellbottom jeans crumpled in the corner (queue a 10-second shot of Wolverine’s butt that garners audible reaction from a crowded theater). References to bad acid trips, explanations of JFK’s assassination, and jokes about only having four television networks punctuate a script that centers on the Nixon presidency and booming defense industry of that time period.</p>
<p>But one 1970s relic permeates the story in an unintended way: the marginalization of women. Although Mystique is the catalyst for the story—and in being so is the female character with the most screen time running, fighting and emotionally combusting—<em>Days of Future Past</em> is still a boy’s club, more so than any other film in the franchise.</p>
<p>In the original comic book version of this story arc, it’s Kitty Pryde&nbsp;<a href="http://comicbook.com/blog/2014/05/26/x-men-days-of-future-past-writer-explains-the-kitty-prydewolverine-trade/" target="_blank">who went back in time to save the world</a>. But in the film, the scriptwriters decided the story would have “more gravity” if Wolverine was the time-traveling hero instead, so Kitty Pryde (played by Ellen Page) uses her powers to send him on the journey. Power-absorbing heroine Rogue (Anna Paquin) was <a href="http://bitchmagazine.org/post/tis-the-season-of-macho-summer-blockbusters-with-no-superheroines-in-sight" target="_blank">also cut almost entirely from the film</a>—she reportedly had a somewhat substantial role in <em>Days of Future Past</em>, but all her scenes were cut during editing. Eventually, Rogue was added back as just a cameo. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="/sites/default/files/u2583/dofp-large.jpg" alt="the cover of the original x-men comic featuring wolverine and kitty pryde" /></p>
<p><em>The original X-Men comic book storyline revolved around Kitty Pryde saving the day. <a href="http://comicbook.com/blog/2014/05/26/x-men-days-of-future-past-writer-explains-the-kitty-prydewolverine-trade/" target="_blank">Image via Comicbook.com</a>.</em></p>
<p>Storm and two other mutant women who are unnamed in the film also have small roles in the film’s near-future sequences and Mystique is the only female mutant in the past, but no female characters have a presence in both time periods. Meanwhile, the three main characters — Wolverine, Magneto and Professor X — appear in both places, and when they need help they go to two other men: young Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult) and Quicksilver (Evan Peters). Quicksilver is the most entertaining character in the whole film, but his equally powerful sister Scarlet Witch is too young to help out with the mission, confined to a small appearance as a little girl dressed up as a princess—even though the original character is supposed to be his twin.</p>
<p>As it is, the movie feels very male-heavy and many interesting female characters are sidelined to minor roles. However, Mystique’s character is great. The character has made strides since her original appearance in <em>First Class</em> as an insecure, image-obsessed woman.&nbsp; This time around, Mystique is a tough woman who is loved by Magneto and Professor X but never treated as a prize to be won. She has a bold, self-confident attitude. After morphing from an&nbsp;<em>American Hustle-</em>glam disguise back to her natural blue, she says, “What’s the matter, baby? Don’t you think I look prettier like this?” Lawrence’s acting skills pack as much depth as possible into a character primarily seen kicking ass and taking identities—which is still more than what the rest of the cast brings to the table, despite best efforts on McAvoy and Fassbender’s parts.</p>
<p><img src="/sites/default/files/u2583/mystique_x-men_days-of-future-past.png" alt="mystique" width="670" height="320" /></p>
<p>But one woman does not a gender-balanced film make. In the film, Professor X asks his past self, “Please, we need you to hope again.” I feel the same way about the whole X-Men franchise.&nbsp; Mystique’s role certainly provides an example of how female action hero characters can have the same depth as male heroes—the film could have used more heroines like her. As fun and entertaining as <em>Days of Future Past</em> is, it could have been so much more, especially for audiences looking for women to have a far larger stake in the story.</p>
<p><em>Related Reading — <a href="http://bitchmagazine.org/post/marvel-debuts-a-new-series-the-all-women-x-men" target="_blank">Marvel Debuts a New Series: The All-Women X-Men.</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://twitter.com/keliza13" target="_blank">Kate Everson</a> is a Chicago journalist who loves good books, good movies, superheroes, feminism and any combination of the four.</em></p>
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http://bitchmagazine.org/x-men-days-of-future-past-film-review-feminist-kitty-pryde-mystique#commentscomicsGeneral nerditryX-MenMoviesMon, 26 May 2014 21:26:43 +0000Kate Everson26203 at http://bitchmagazine.org'Tis the Season of Macho Summer Blockbusters, With No Superheroines in Sighthttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/tis-the-season-of-macho-summer-blockbusters-with-no-superheroines-in-sight
<p><img src="/sites/default/files/u2583/x-men-rogue.jpg" alt="rogue" /></p>
<p><em>Where will you not see much of Rogue this summer? In the new X-Men movie, sadly.&nbsp;</em></p>
<p>Every time I type “superheroine” into Microsoft Word, it’s underlined with a red squiggle to tell me that there’s no such term. “Superheroine” is as made-up a concept as “asdfjlad,” and the computer’s all-knowing dictionary adds insult to injury by asking whether I really mean to type “superhero.”</p>
<p>I was a feminist before I was a geek. Unfortunately, this summer's comic book blockbusters make it tricky to be both.</p>
<p>Since 2005's Daredevil-spinoff <em>Elektra</em>&nbsp;and 2004's <em>Catwoman </em>flopped, <a href="http://theweek.com/article/index/259285/girls-on-film-hollywood-should-stop-pretending-its-hard-to-make-a-female-superhero-movie" target="_blank">not one superheroine has had her own film</a>. &nbsp;Despite a <a href="http://www.newsarama.com/15438-move-over-boys-10-female-superheroes-who-need-movies.html" target="_blank">wealth of comic book heroines</a>, characters like Black Widow from <em>The Avengers</em> and the many female X-Men have only been featured as sidekicks to the other characters. Summer 2014 is not about to change that, as the typical docket of superhero films continues to be male dominated.&nbsp;</p>
<p>This isn’t just about which characters big movie studios ordain as the ones that will sell the most tickets and popcorn in the coming year—superhero stories are major narratives in our society. They’re stories we all know. And women are not central to any of those recent stories.</p>
<p>“Girls need superheroes to look up to as much as boys do,” says Kristy Guevara-Flanagan, director of <em><a href="http://wonderwomendoc.com/" target="_blank">Wonder Women! The Untold Story of the American Superheroine</a></em>. “They need these figures in order to believe themselves powerful and bold and to see themselves as able to battle their villains. Of course the superhero genre takes it to a fantastical level, but they’re heroes, and we need the heroes to reflect who we are.”</p>
<p>Anyone watching the last year of action genre success wouldn’t see a problem. March’s <em><a href="http://bitchmagazine.org/post/may-the-box-office-be-ever-in-your-favor-how-divergent-and-thehunger-games-and-divergent-avoid-" target="_blank">Divergent</a></em> pulled in $56 million in its first weekend, and 2013 saw moneymakers like<em> <a href="http://bit.ly/1bBQcyV" target="_blank">The Hunger Games: Catching Fire</a></em> and <em>Gravity</em>. These three blockbusters center on women in tough roles and the box office data shows that&nbsp;<a href="http://bitchmagazine.org/post/blockbuster-films-featuring-actual-female-characters-made-serious-money-in-2013" target="_blank">2013 blockbusters that passed the Bechdel test made significantly more money</a>&nbsp;than films that failed the test. But superhero movies are still steering clear of female leads.</p>
<p>Summer brings the action genre front and center-row of the cineplex and this year, we’ll get a double dose of Michael Bay with <em>Transformers: Age of Extinction</em> in June and <em>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</em> in August, both of which focus on masculine characters, from men to aliens-turned-cars to, well, teenage mutant ninja turtles.&nbsp;</p>
<p>July’s <em>Dawn of the Planet of the Apes</em> also features a male lead, as well as kid-centric sci-fi adventure <em>Earth to Echo,</em> also due in July. <em>Sin City: A Dame to Kill For</em> rounds out the macho summer blockbuster hopefuls, and if <a href="http://www.toplessrobot.com/2009/01/6_hints_that_frank_miller_might_have_issues_with_w.php" target="_blank">Frank Miller's other work</a>&nbsp;is any indication of what will happen in this new film, the female characters won't fare well.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="/sites/default/files/u2583/sin-city-2.jpg" alt="the poster for the sin city movie" width="670" height="400" /></p>
<p><em>We'd be happy with just "a dame," thanks.&nbsp;</em></p>
<p>The only mainstream action film that has promise for a female lead is the Wachowskis'&nbsp;<em><a href="http://www.jupiterascending.com/index.html" target="_blank">Jupiter Ascending</a></em>, starring Mila Kunis as the challenger to the Queen of the Universe. Of course, she may need Channing Tatum to save her first.</p>
<p>In April, <em>Captain America: Winter Soldier</em> featured Black Widow in her fourth appearance as a supporting character. Marvel has talked about <a href="https://variety.com/2014/film/news/marvel-black-widow-scarlett-johansson-1201104415/" target="_blank">developing a movie starring the spy-turned-Avenger herself</a>, but there's been no concrete action on it so far. But Marvel has gotten serious work done on the <em>Guardians of the Galaxy</em> series, which will begin in August and features one woman playing helper to two men, a male raccoon, and a male-voiced tree.&nbsp;</p>
<p>While it might be a stretch for Hollywood to place a woman at the center of a <em>Captain America</em> flick, there are several comic book superhero story lines that are full of female heroes. &nbsp;The first issue of Marvel's all-women series of the <a href="http://bitchmagazine.org/post/marvel-debuts-a-new-series-the-all-women-x-men" target="_blank">X-Men comics was the country's number one best-selling comic</a> in America when it debuted in May 2013. But fast-forward one year and the female X-Men heroines are not getting their due at theaters. <em>X-Men Days of Future Past</em> will continue to feature male leads front-and-center while women fight in smaller roles slightly behind them—Storm, Shadow Cat and Mystique. Fan favorite Rogue was entirely edited out of the final product (and then added back in as just a cameo less than a month before the film’s release).</p>
<p>In an <a href="http://insidemovies.ew.com/2013/12/20/x-men-days-future-past-rogue-anna-paquin/" target="_blank">interview with <em>Entertainment Weekly</em></a>, director Bryan Singer said there was only one scene featuring Rogue, but “like many things in the editing process, it was an embarrassment of riches, and it was just one of the things that had to go." Judging from the film’s trailers, that “embarrassment of riches” left room for plenty of shots of Magneto, Wolverine, Professor X and other male characters flashing their mutant powers.</p>
<p><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/8872705655_4d70bc04fb_n.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /><img src="/sites/default/files/u2583/x_men_days_of_future_past.jpg" alt="x-men poster" width="425" height="300" /></p>
<p><em>Spot the difference between the best-selling 2013 X-Men comic and a poster for this film </em>X-Men: First Class<em>.</em></p>
<p>But at least Rogue hasn’t died yet. The same can’t be said for Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker’s girlfriend in this spring's&nbsp;<em>The Amazing Spiderman 2</em>. In the comics, Stacy died so her boyfriend could develop as a hero. In 1999 Gail Simone, now a writer for DC Comics, started <a href="http://lby3.com/wir/" target="_blank">Women In Refrigerators</a>, a site that indexes every female character who dies for the good of the male hero. The name “women in refrigerators” came from Green Lantern Issue #54, when the hero comes home to find his girlfriend gruesomely murdered and shoved in the icebox. The whole idea of the list is to point out how male characters are complex and have long-running storylines, female characters in comics are <a href="http://bitchmagazine.org/post/dont-be-a-dick-how-comics-can-alienate-women-and-trans-folks" target="_blank">often treated as two-dimensional sidekicks to the main narrative</a>.</p>
<p>“That was kind of a go-to reaction to convey drama, and the cost of being a hero was to take out one of the supporting characters,” says&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/brianmjoines" target="_blank">Brian Joines</a>, an indie comic writer who contributed to the site in its early days. “Who more to make the male hero suffer than the loss of his loved female character?”</p>
<p>Dr.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.underthemaskonline.com/" target="_blank">Andrea Letamendi</a>, a psychologist and geek culturist, says the lack of women in superhero films is more than a niche issue. Instead, it is an example of symbolic annihilation.</p>
<p>“We perpetuate this idea that these are our beliefs and attitudes,” she said. “The media represents our beliefs and attitudes, and this is how we’re valuing or rather undervaluing, these groups. That’s a social concern.”</p>
<p>There are several myths standing in the way of reversing Hollywood’s superheroine exclusion. The first is the fallacy that women can’t carry action films.&nbsp;</p>
<p>After <em>Elektra </em>and 2004’s <em>Catwoman </em>flopped, Hollywood shut out female action heroes despite the popularity of characters such as Ellen Ripley and Lara Croft. “It comes back to stereotypes. When women are leading characters, we always use them to explain the failure of the film. When it’s a male character, we blame the story or CGI,” says Dr. Letamendi.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="/sites/default/files/u2583/elektra-05.jpg" alt="elektra movie poster" width="660" height="460" /></p>
<p><em>Look, don't blame this whole mess of a movie on Jennifer Garner.&nbsp;</em></p>
<p>Fear of femaleness isn’t limited to the screen. The perception that women don’t belong in geek culture is what led to many men to preach against <a href="http://bitchmagazine.org/post/two-sisters-really-sweet-song-debunking-fake-geek-girls" target="_blank">“fake geek girls”</a>—the Lex Luthors in skirts who supposedly pretend to be interested in superheroes in order to get male nerd attention.<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>Education has to go beyond the audience. Because men are the majority of filmmakers, Letamendi says they need to be aware of their female viewers. The lack of female superheroes on the screen likely has roots in how there is <a href="http://bitchmagazine.org/post/for-every-woman-in-the-film-industry-there-are-five-men" target="_blank">only one woman working in the film industry for every five men</a>—all parts of film production in the United States are male dominated and that affects the kinds of stories we see studios backing.</p>
<p>"We have to open the doors to women as creators in order to see female characters that are more nuanced and diverse in terms of representation,” says Dr. Letamendi.&nbsp;</p>
<p>There is a glimmer of movie projector light at the end of the tunnel, however. In December, director Zac Snyder announced that Gal Gadot would play Wonder Woman in 2015’s <em>Batman vs. Superman</em>. Although she’ll be a side character, it will be the <a href="http://bitchmagazine.org/post/is-wonder-woman-too-big-for-the-silver-screen" target="_blank">first time since the 1970s TV series</a> that the Amazon warrior is seen on screen. Although this is potentially a path to making Wonder Woman a blockbuster character, it’s frustrating to start her post-millennium presence with a minor role.</p>
<p>“It’s not what women want,” says <a href="http://www.trinarobbins.com/Trina_Robbins/Welcome.html" target="_blank">Trina Robbins</a>, the legendary underground comic creator who drew Wonder Woman comics for DC in the 1980s. “We want to see her have her own movie, and we want to see it done well. They need to go back to the traditional, iconic Wonder Woman.”</p>
<p>That might even put “superheroine” in the dictionary.&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Related Reading: For more on the the portrayal of Wonder Woman on-screen, check out the article "Out of Character: Why the latest transformation of Wonder Woman has fans concerned" from <a href="http://bitchmagazine.org/issue/63" target="_blank">Bitch's Tough issue</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>Kate Everson is a Chicago journalist who loves good books, good movies, superheroes, feminism and any combination of the four.</em></p>
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http://bitchmagazine.org/post/tis-the-season-of-macho-summer-blockbusters-with-no-superheroines-in-sight#commentscomicsGeneral nerditryWonder WomanX-MenMoviesMon, 19 May 2014 23:54:54 +0000Kate Everson26127 at http://bitchmagazine.orgDigging into Gender and Comics at San Diego Comic-Conhttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/digging-into-gender-and-comics-at-san-diego-comic-con
<p><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7289/9319995507_4c6018b883_o.jpg" alt="Three women in a comic stare at the viewer in front of big statues" height="334" width="600" /></p>
<p><em>The stars of Grace Randolph's superhero comic <a href="http://www.boom-studios.com/supurbia-01.html" target="_blank">Supurbia</a>, on its first issue cover.&nbsp;</em></p>
<p>I came to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.comic-con.org/" target="_blank">Comic-Con International</a>&nbsp;this weekend with an eye on gender—how would female fans and comics creators be represented in the convention that draws 150,000 proud nerds to San Diego?&nbsp;</p>
<p>Day one alone of the epic convention included three gender-specific panels:&nbsp;<a href="http://comiccon2013.sched.org/event/5d17ba7067da56070224fd5cd2fae814" target="_blank">The Witty Women of Steampunk</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://comiccon2013.sched.org/event/3e2479c502c944b32b02bdddb5bd2477" target="_blank">Gender in Comics</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="http://comiccon2013.sched.org/event/76021dc94ce50ed2e991c59618bfca76" target="_blank">The Most Dangerous Women at Comic-Con: Dual Identities</a>, which all included a mix of&nbsp;academics, comics creators, and fan community organizers.</p>
<p>My takeaway from three panels was big and simple: the female experience&nbsp;<em>is</em>&nbsp;the human experience, people just aren't trained to think that way. Jeanine Schaefer,&nbsp;<a href="/post/marvel-debuts-a-new-series-the-all-women-x-men" target="_blank">editor of the new all-female&nbsp;<em>X-Men</em>&nbsp;series</a>, said on the Gender in Comics panel that when the idea first came up to do an all-female X-Men series, "There was a lot of, 'What if they all get their periods at the same time? I wouldn't want to be a dude when that happens!'" Marvel went forward with the comic, but, "Online, people kept asking, 'Why can't you just identify with dudes?' And I just wanted to be like, 'Guys! I've been doing that my whole life because there is no one else to identify with!'"&nbsp;</p>
<p>Dire predictions aside,&nbsp;<a href="/post/marvel-debuts-a-new-series-the-all-women-x-men" target="_blank"><em>X-Men</em>&nbsp;#1 sold</a>&nbsp;more than any other comic in the month in which it was released.</p>
<p>Despite the overall optimism that readers can connect with female characters, queer characters, and characters of color, panel moderator Christina Blanch noted that in the popular imagination, comics is still a man's world. A Ball State University professor who also teaches a popular online&nbsp;<a href="http://comicsforum.org/2013/03/20/gender-through-comic-books-by-christina-blanch/" target="_blank">gender-through-comics</a>&nbsp;class, Blanch related the results of a class experiment in which she had students read comics in public and gauge the reaction. Every single one of the women was questioned by passersby about why she was reading a comic. On the other hand, only one male student was questioned, and he was reading&nbsp;<em>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</em>.</p>
<p>The panelists agreed that the development that has most changed the landscape for women in comics is the ability to buy them&nbsp;<a href="http://www.comixology.com/" target="_blank">online</a>—without going to the kinds of stores that Blanch referred to as "rapey." At the same time, creators urged the audience to pre-order comics they like from their neighborhood stores because that's the only way the stores will ever carry them. Comics writer Grace Randolph says she often hears from fans that&nbsp;<a href="http://www.boom-studios.com/supurbia-01.html" target="_blank"><em>Supurbia</em></a>, her multi-racial comic populated with both male and female heroes, is not available in stores. Dafna Pleban, an editor at <a href="http://www.boom-studios.com/" target="_blank">Boom!</a>, which publishes Supurbia, bemoaned the effect that a lack of diversity has had on her favorite genre:</p>
<blockquote><p>"Women love superheroes. We love characters who are empowered both physically and as people who make decisions in their lives. This perception that women read different genres is why the superhero genre is where it is now—because it has limited voices. In the end, being inclusive and being seen by other people as human, that's just good writing. If you want to tell the story you have to do it."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Though the Witty Women of Steampunk panel contained very few actual references to the gender of the panelists or of their characters, Anina Bennett, author of&nbsp;<em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Boilerplate-Historys-Mechanical-Paul-Guinan/dp/0810989506" target="_blank">Boilerplate</a></em>, summed up why <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk" target="_blank">steampunk</a>—a subgenre of speculative fiction set in a psuedo-historical, steam-powered era—provides such fertile ground for female artists who want to reclaim an historical image of womanhood:</p>
<blockquote><p>People make a categorical distinction in their minds between fiction and history, and they think that history is pure fact, utterly objective, no information left out. But history is written by winners, we all know that. So part of what we're trying to do is tweak those lines a little bit and get them to think about when they're reading other things that are supposedly non-fiction, there's always a point of view.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I tracked down panelist Kaja Foglio, author of steampunk comic&nbsp;<em><a href="http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/" target="_blank">Girl Genius</a></em>, on the convention floor to find out what it is about steampunk that makes it a good fit for women writers and female characters.</p>
<p>"I think we see the age of steam as this time of adventure and travel and that's something that people enjoy. I mean everybody does. And there really were women doing exciting things back then. They just didn't get as much press," said Foglio. "So now you have female creators saying, 'Cool, we can tell&nbsp;<em>her</em>&nbsp;story.' But it's not just because I'm a woman—I think it's more of human thing really, to like exotic locations and interesting machines."</p>
<p><em>Other comics coverage: <a href="http://bit.ly/15H6BR0" target="_blank">Why I Love Cosplay</a>; <a href="http://bit.ly/W5U5IE" target="_blank">The Five Best Genderqueer Characters in Comics</a>; <a href="http://bit.ly/16xogzt" target="_blank">Four Women-Created Graphic Novels You Should Acquire Immediately</a>;&nbsp;<a href="http://bit.ly/18zBaui" target="_blank">An Interview with X-Men #1 Series Editor Jeanine Schaefer</a>. Plus, listen to our podcast episode <a href="http://bit.ly/12kkAjj" target="_blank">all about nerds</a>!</em></p>
<p><em>CORRECTION: The original version of this post mistakenly attributed Dafna Pleban's quote to Grace Randolph.<br /></em></p>
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<p><a href="/issue/59" target="_blank">Read and buy <em>Bitch</em> magazine's current print issue!</a></p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/digging-into-gender-and-comics-at-san-diego-comic-con#commentsBoilerplateWomen in ComicsX-MenComicsFri, 19 Jul 2013 17:13:25 +0000Holly Derr23548 at http://bitchmagazine.orgMarvel Debuts a New Series: The All-Women X-Menhttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/marvel-debuts-a-new-series-the-all-women-x-men
<p><img style="float: right; margin: 10px;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/8872705655_4d70bc04fb_n.jpg" alt="the series cover, featuring all women standing looking tough" width="211" height="320" />For months, I eagerly awaited the arrival of <a href="http://www.comixology.com/X-Men-Vol-4-1/digital-comic/FEB130492" target="_blank">Marvel's all-women series <em>X-Men #1</em></a>. I wasn't sure what to expect: would the all-woman series be marketed as a comic for girls or just another showcase of all the great female X-Men characters?</p>
<p><em>X:Men #1 </em>was worth the wait. The series starts out dramatically and little is revealed in the first comic (released May 29), which left me hanging and anxious for more. The comic reads pretty much just like any other solid comic in the <em>X-Men</em> series—I appreciated that, since I don't want the series to be wildly different simply because all of the characters are women.</p>
<p>It's about time the women of X-Men get their own comic. I spent my tween years obsessively playing the arcade game <em>X-Men: Children of the Atom </em>and fell hard in love with its superheroines.</p>
<p>The new series, like the beloved X-Men nineties cartoon, follows Jubilee as the lead, along with Storm, Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Psylocke, and Rachel Grey, who reside at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. In the first issue, Jubilee returns to the school via train with a mysterious baby. The comic has a dark and modern look to it, with the characters looking tough as ever (including the return of Storm punk rock mohawk).</p>
<p>Jeanine Schaefer edits the series for Marvel and took some time to email about the new release and why the new series isn't being called <em>X-Women</em>.</p>
<p><br /> CRYSTAL ERICKSON: <strong>How long has this series been in the works?</strong></p>
<p>JEANINE SCHAEFER: Last year, [writer] Brian Wood's run on X-Men starred four women plus Colossus, characters he chose solely for their availability and how they could function in the kind of story he wanted to tell. But seeing how well it worked, and this being an idea I've been wanting to see if we could pull off for a long time, I said to him, "Hey, what if we just made an entire team all women?" Not only was he totally on board, he had about 75 ideas for stories he wanted to tell and characters he wanted to play with, so we brought it to X-Men Senior Editor Nick Lowe and Editor in Chief Axel Alonso and their answer was basically, "When can you start?"</p>
<p>Marvel as a team has been incredibly supportive in bringing more female-led titles to our line. For the past few years, we've been aware of a lack of significant female-led solo titles and team books, and there's been a huge effort to rectify that. There's no formula, but Axel has been a huge proponent of finding the right creative team and actually giving them the room to make it work: Captain Marvel, Journey Into Mystery, Fearless Defenders and Uncanny X-Force are all just a few examples of that working.</p>
<p><strong>How long do you anticipate the series will last?</strong><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>Is "forever" too optimistic?</p>
<p><strong>You've done other all-female comics in the past. How is this project similar or different from <em>Girl Comics</em>?</strong></p>
<p><strong>&nbsp;</strong>They're pretty different in terms of mission statement. <em>Girl Comics</em> was a project we did to celebrate women in comics—it was a three-issue limited series created entirely by women, meant to showcase the breadth and range of women working in mainstream comics. <em>X-Men</em> is certainly female-friendly in that there are women working on it and there are female characters involved, but we're aiming for a classic <em>X-Men</em> feel. Saving the world, punching villains, romance, it's everything you'd expect to find in any <em>X-Men</em> comic. The only thing that's the same about them, really, is that we're trying to appeal to anyone who might like comics: women, men, <em>X-Men</em> readers, <em>Avengers </em>movie-goers, <em>Captain Marvel</em> readers, <em>Birds of Prey</em> readers—anyone with a pulse and a penchant for comics.</p>
<p><strong>Are you editing this series to make sure it's female-friendly? </strong><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>I've long said that there's nothing you have to make sure exists in your comic (or movie or TV show or book) to specifically get women interested, you just need to make sure there's not a giant sign on it saying, "No girls allowed." And I think my point of view is probably inherently one of being more sensitive to things that might turn women off from comics. Though I also can't speak for all women, either. So while this isn't aimed only at women, yeah, I hope that female readers who might be looking for something that could speak directly to them will find something here. &nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Why didn't you call it <em>X-Women</em>?</strong><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>I really felt like that would be ostracizing it from the line. These women are X-Men. They have been since they were created, and this book is an X-Men book. No one would think twice about an all-male team, making sure it had the word "men" in the title, so why do that here?</p>
<p><strong>How did you decide which X-Men characters to use in the series?</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong>It honestly was nothing more complicated than starting with the heaviest hitting characters, then seeing who would play well off them, who would create the most interesting stories. Also, who did we have a soft spot for?</p>
<p><strong>Why the focus on Jubilee? Because she has a baby? Is she going to raise it in the series? Have male characters rescued babies in other series?</strong><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>We love Jubilee! She's such a great character that has a lot of room to stretch her legs, not to mention she has close ties with all the women in this: Rogue, Storm and Psylocke were three of the women Jubilee had her first X-Men adventure with in her very first appearance, and she and Kitty have a connection in that they both spent some time as sidekick to Wolverine.</p>
<p>So let's talk about the baby. Like I talked about a bit before, family is a huge theme in <em>X-Men</em>. We did a recent run of <em>Cable</em>, which centered around Cable rescuing a baby that he thinks could be the savior of the mutant race. His entire story is about realizing that this girl isn't just a figure to be protected, but his daughter, and coming to terms with fatherhood, as well as dealing with own issues with his father (who is actually younger than him because comics). And that story led into a huge event for us that really centered around the X-Men as family and what each character would do for that family.</p>
<p>The baby that Jubilee comes home with in the first issue is Brian's creation. We'll learn a little more about him and a little more about how Jubilee came to have a baby strapped to her back in the next issue.</p>
<p><strong>Who are your favorite X-Men characters and why?</strong><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>I love Jubilee. Have loved her for years, I really saw myself in here when I was a kid. She was wish fulfillment, you know, like all the best characters are. A mall rat discovers she has super powers and gets adopted by the X-Men? I'm from Long Island, so that REALLY spoke to me as I was hanging out at the Sunrise Mall and the Busy Bee (RIP Busy Bee).&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>UPDATE JUNE 11TH: Good news! The numbers are in and <a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&amp;id=45995" target="_blank">this issue was the #1 selling comic in America</a> in May! The issue sold over 177,000 copies.&nbsp;</strong></p>
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<p><img style="float: right;" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7453/8872706505_80939457b7.jpg" alt="a page from the x-men comic" width="300" height="490" /><img style="float: left;" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3706/8873318836_dd0d225481.jpg" alt="a page from the x-men comic" width="329" height="500" /></p>
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http://bitchmagazine.org/post/marvel-debuts-a-new-series-the-all-women-x-men#commentsMarvelWomen in ComicsX-MenComicsWed, 29 May 2013 21:48:50 +0000Crystal J. Erickson22842 at http://bitchmagazine.orgRevenge of the Feminerd: X-Men Goes Retrohttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/revenge-of-the-feminerd-x-men-goes-retro
<p><img src="/sites/default/files/u36600/xmen.jpg" alt="X-Men: First Class: the cast of the film--seven white people--stand outside looking off into the distance" width="350" height="218" /></p>
<p>I was really excited to catch <em>X-Men: First Class</em> this weekend. The previews looked amazing and since the X-Men universe has some great women characters, I couldn't wait to see how they were portrayed, especially young Mystique.</p>
<p>The movie starts in the same way as the first <em>X-Men</em>, with Erik/Magneto being separated from his mother in a concentration camp. When he bends the metal gates of the camp with his powers, he attracts the attention of the evil Dr. Schmidt (later Sebastian Shaw, played by Kevin Bacon). As an adult, Erik (Michael Fassbender) is driven by the desire for revenge against Schmidt/Shaw and eventually all humans as potential mutant oppressors. Meanwhile, a young Professor Xavier (James McEvoy) brings Erik in to work with the CIA and Xavier's new mutant recruits to stop Shaw, who is atempting to turn the Cuban Missile Crisis into full-scale nuclear war. Where Erik is bent on revenge, Xavier is bent on gaining respect and acceptance for mutants in the larger human society.</p>
<p>I enjoyed most of <em>X-Men: First Class</em>. The acting, special effects, and writing were excellent, except possibly the two times Xavier tries to hit on women in bars by saying they have "groovy mutation[s]".</p>
<p>But then again, the whole movie had a cheesy retro vibe to it, with its Cold War setting and costumes (turtlenecks for the men, not much clothing at all for the women) giving it the feel of a cross between X-Men and a Connery-era Bond movie.</p>
<p>Which brings me to the disappointing gender and racial dynamics of <em>X-Men: First Class</em>. Jane Goldman, the movie's co-writer said in <a href="http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/05/31/interview-jane-goldman-co-writer-of-x-men-first-class/">an interview with Bleeding Cool</a>: "I think the film is very strongly connected with real life race issues, and references to the Jewish holocaust. We were obviously aware of the civil rights movement contemporary to the events in the film, but didn't want to force it down anybody's throat. It absolutely potentially could be a storyline for a whole new film. Certainly the Malcolm X/Dr. King parallel was something that was absolutely present in our minds."</p>
<p>X-Men has often been used as a metaphor for the Civil Rights Movement, but given that it's set in 1962, I would have thought the actual Civil Rights Movement might've merited a mention. And for a movie that claims to be connected to race issues, I found it tended towards tokenizing. <strong><em>(spoiler alerts ahead!)</em></strong> Of Xavier's new mutant recruits, only two are non-white (not counting Mystique, who is naturally blue-skinned but maintains a disguise as a blonde, white girl). One, a black man called Darwin, gets killed before getting more than 3 or 4 lines in in a classic example of erasure. The other character of colour, Angel Salvadore (Zoe Kravitz), is the first to betray Xavier's group and join Sebastian Shaw's mutants. <a href="http://www.racialicious.com/2011/06/06/open-thread-x-men-first-class/">Racialicious points out</a> that the character of Riptide (the wind guy, played by a Latino, also sides with Shaw and then Magneto.<strong><em>(end of spoilers!)</em></strong></p>
<p><img style="float: right;" src="/sites/default/files/u36600/january-jones-emma-frost-first-class.jpg" alt="January Jones as Emma Frost: a white woman in a bra and underwear" width="170" height="227" />On the gender side of things, it's not much better. And here I should say that my X-Men familiarity is mostly with the other movies, not as much through the comics, so this might make a difference. I had seen some early comic book representations of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Frost">Emma Frost</a> (played in the movie by January Jones, whose presence <a href="http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/06/03/movies/x-men-first-class-review.html?nl=todaysheadlines&amp;emc=tha210">Manohla Dargis called "sullen, bosomy"</a>), but was surprised they made her costumes in the movie equally skimpy. For a mutant with some pretty cool powers, it was disappointing to see her come across as little more than a seductive sidekick for the evil Shaw. At one point he even orders her to get him some ice for his drink, saying, "There's a good girl."</p>
<p><strong><em>(More spoilers!)</em></strong> Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) was a bit better, spending much of the movie struggling with shame over her blue appearance but eventually coming to terms with her looks, deciding to be "mutant and proud". But the transformation is slightly overshadowed by the fact that she only ends up embracing her blueness once Magneto validates her beauty. <strong><em>(end of spoilers)</em></strong></p>
<p>At least Mystique was less disappointing than Moira McTaggart, the non-mutant CIA agent played by Rose Byrne. The first time we meet Moira, she infiltrates a Vegas party by pulling off her clothes to reveal Emma Frost-level lingerie, and pretending to be part of a group of strippers. Unfortunately, she continues to be treated poorly throughout the film, including at the very ending, which I won't give away.
</p><p>In the Bleeding Cool interview, Goldman says that parts of McTaggart's story were edited out:<br />
<blockquote>I think there's definitely an element of 60s sexism, which is supposed to be not-a-good-thing, running through the movie, though unfortunately sometimes, when a film is edited you end up with a thread seeming that you're not following all elements of all threads. There was much more of story about Moira being oppressed…I think what was originally there is that Moira was a woman, so in the minority in the CIA, and in that sense was an outcast in her own way, just as all the mutants are. She was a victim of prejudice.</blockquote></p>
<p>I'd say you definitely do get the sense that she's oppressed in the CIA, but not to the extent that it's ever really challenged. The gender inequality, especially with Moira, came across as more a kitschy element than one we're really supposed to think about or learn anything from.</p>
<p>Finally, there's a disconcerting subtle element of violence against women, which includes a scene where Erik/Magneto begins to strangle Emma, and new recruit Havoc/Alex practicing his blasts of explosive power on female mannequins.</p>
<p>So overall, as an X-Men fan, it was pretty decent, but as a feminist I wasn't wowed. I'd be interested to hear what fans of the comics thought of the movie, and for fun, I have the following question:</p>
<p>If you could choose a mutant power, what would it be?</p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/revenge-of-the-feminerd-x-men-goes-retro#commentscomicsGeneral nerditryjames mcevoyjennifer lawrencemichael fassbenderrevenge of the feminerdrose byrneX-Menx-men first classMoviesMon, 06 Jun 2011 16:53:47 +0000Jarrah Hodge10626 at http://bitchmagazine.orgGrrl on Film-Princess Synergy: Disney’s Acquisition of Marvel is Good for Boys, But What About Girls? http://bitchmagazine.org/post/princess-synergy-disney%E2%80%99s-acquisition-of-marvel-is-good-for-boys-but-what-about-girls
<p><img src="/sites/default/files/u317/42289_1217584714253_300_400.jpg" alt="42289_1217584714253_300_400.jpg" height="400" width="300" />
</p><p> </p>
<p>The big pop culture news this week – and other than the death of Michael Jackson, likely some of the biggest pop culture news of the year so far – is that <a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&amp;id=22747">the Walt Disney Company has purchased comic book, film, and video game powerhouse Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion. </a> </p>
<p>While I'm personally in no way rattled by the acquisition/merger, I do think that it provides some opportunities to discuss gender, entertainment and marketing. </p>
<p>Marvel has over 70 years of history, and Disney will have access to over 5,000 characters (though the ones that have been mentioned most in the past week are the most profitable: Spider-<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic">Man</span>, Iron <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic">Man</span>, and the X-<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic">Men</span>. Hmmmmm . … what could be missing here?) </p>
<p>The deal has included lots of business speak about "brands," "vertical integration," "long-term growth," "value creation," and my favorite, "synergy," (mostly because it reminds me of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic">30 Rock</span>'s Jack Donaghy telling Liz Lemon to "never badmouth synergy"). There certainly will be many opportunities for profit, but I'm interested in how y'all respond to the fact that one of Disney's major motivating factors has been securing a young male demographic. </p>
<p><a href="http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/08/31/disney-buys-marvel-analysis/">Heidi MacDonald at The Beat notes that:</a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic">"Disney has always wanted strong boys properties. They rule the pink world with their princesses, but have had a historic weakness with older boys that they've tried to bridge. This is obviously a slam dunk for that."</span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/business/media/01disney.html?_r=1&amp;hp">The New York Times echoes this somewhat with:</a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic">"The brooding Marvel characters tend to be more popular with boys — an area where Disney could use help. While the likes of Hannah Montana and the blockbuster Princesses merchandising line have solidified Disney's hold on little girls, franchises for boys have been harder to come by." </span></p>
<p>They also write that: </p>
<p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic">"The deal is not without risk. Questions include whether Marvel's lesser-known characters can be effectively groomed into stars and to what degree the most valuable and heavily exploited assets (Spider-Man, the X-Men) have weakened in box-office power." </span></p>
<p>Lesser-known characters include obscure characters – of which in a universe of 5,000 are many – but we can also assume that a handful of those are women and minority characters that might make compelling stories that have the potential to reach a diversified audience. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/31/disney-acquires-marvel-fo_n_272608.html?page=14&amp;show_comment_id=30033613#comment_30033613">The Huffington Post writes:</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic">"Buying Marvel is meant to improve Disney's following among men and boys. Disney acknowledges it lost some of its footing with guys as it poured resources into female favorites such as &quot;Hannah Montana&quot; and the Jonas Brothers."</span></p>
<p>There's lots we can tease out here about pouring resources into projects that resonate, for whatever reason, with girls (and we can, and should get into those reasons too). My concern is that the resulting products will continue to be two unfortunate sides of the same gendered coin: Good-Girly Princess and Oversexed Superheroine. </p>
<p><a href="http://scifipulse.net/?p=12971">As Nicholas Yanes muses in his piece for SciFi Pulse:</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic">"The final issue I want to address ties into why I think Disney bought Marvel in the first place – they are desperate to appeal to the young male demographic. The problem I have with this is that Marvel and Disney suck at appealing to anyone outside of their core demographic. Marvel has never been successful at developing a female fan base and Disney, in recent years, has developed a larger female following at the expense of gaining young male fans. My concern is that Disney and Marvel are going to forget appealing to the other gender: Disney will continue to roll out with Pop Princess stuff and Marvel will give up on creating powerful and popular female characters. Meaning that I'll be stuck feeling like a creep every time I buy a comic with a woman on the cover." </span></p>
<p><a href="http://corporate.disney.go.com/investors/presentations.html">Johanna Draper Carlson reported on the </a> <a href="http://corporate.disney.go.com/investors/presentations.html">investor call</a> for Comics Worth Reading, and noted that Disney's President and CEO, Bob Iger, said something about <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic">"how the popularity of Marvel characters and stories transcends gender and age, which I disagree with, but once Disney gets a hold of them, that will likely become more true." </span></p>
<p>Like Carlson, I find Iger's comment difficult to swallow considering all the comments concerning the idea of a &quot;Disney for Boys&quot; – as well as how much of popular culture is marked towards the perceived and stereotyped male gender –but I'm curious to read what y'all think about this in the comments section.</p>
<p>Now I would hate to see a Princess Sue Storm (gag) – but there's a real opportunity here. Warner Brothers (who own DC) has dropped the ball on a live-action Wonder Woman film, and as I already discussed at length <a href="/post/whiteout-and-women-on-screen">in a previous post</a> there was all the buzz in the past year about how they are no longer making films with women in lead roles. And Marvel royally effed up with their semi-adaptation of Greg Rucka's <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic">Elektra/Wolverine: The Reedemer</span> in 2005's <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic">Elektra</span> (though there is one aspect I appreciate that I discuss at length in <a href="http://www.ink-stainedamazon.com/book_isa.html">my book.</a>) They also did a disservice to both Jean Grey and Ororo Munroe of the X-Men.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="/sites/default/files/u317/elektra_xl_02--film-B.jpg" width="306" height="230" alt="elektra_xl_02--film-B.jpg" /> </p>
<p>BUT, if Disney is willing to take a chance on female characters, <a href="http://disney.go.com/princess/">albeit a specific type of female character,</a> they may be willing to take more chances than Marvel was fiscally willing or able to do. </p>
<p>Additionally, Disney owns Pixar and John Lasseter has already expressed interest in the possibility of a Marvel/Pixar project. Pixar, of course, already produced one of the greatest superhero films of all time in <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic">The Incredibles</span>, as well as one of the most multidimensional of female characters in Helen Parr/Elastigirl.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="/sites/default/files/u317/elastigirl_4.jpg" alt="elastigirl_4.jpg" height="325" width="296" /> </p>
<p>Aside from the numerous jokes about a Howard the Duck/ Donald Duck smackdown or the emergence of a Spider-Mouse (à la Homer Simpson's Spider-Pig) right now the focus seems to be on how this deal will affect male characters and male fans. I, for one, would be very interested in seeing a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Jones">Jessica Jones</a> project, something with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araña">Araña Corazon</a> -- the first Latina superhero, and a Storm origin story (maybe staring Zoe Salanda?). </p>
<p><img src="/sites/default/files/u317/Pulse14cover7dn.jpg" width="375" height="473" alt="Pulse14cover7dn.jpg" />
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<p> </p>
<p><img src="/sites/default/files/u317/Arana.jpg" width="233" height="350" alt="Arana.jpg" /> </p>
<p><img src="/sites/default/files/u317/storm_copy.jpg" alt="storm_copy.jpg" height="500" width="184" /></p>
<p>This news is still fresh and I'm sure the geekosphere will discuss every aspect of it in appropriately obsessive detail. But since the merger isn't likely to get much feminist attention, I'm wondering what thoughts you smart <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic">Bitch</span> readers have to share about the deal and what it may or may not mean for female characters in film, comics, and television. Will the pop culture Disney and Marvel produce continue to be ever more gendered? How are our responses to the preceding question complicated by the fact that many of us get nostalgic over our experiences of girl (and boy) culture? Should entertainment be gendered at all? (Check out the enormous difference between Disney's <a href="http://disney.go.com/princess/">Disney Princess</a> and <a href="http://disney.go.com/disneyxd/">Disney XD</a> websites.) </p>
<p>What female character from the Marvel Universe would you like to see get a proper treatment in film or television? </p>
<p>Discuss away! </p>
<p> </p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/princess-synergy-disney%E2%80%99s-acquisition-of-marvel-is-good-for-boys-but-what-about-girls#commentsArana CorazonDisneyElektraIron ManJean GreyLiz LemonMarvelOroro MunroePixarPrincessesSuperheroeswomen in filmX-MenSocial CommentaryWed, 02 Sep 2009 23:40:35 +0000Jennifer K. Stuller2113 at http://bitchmagazine.orgBlack Widow: A Superheroine Who Won't Get Screwed Over On Screen?http://bitchmagazine.org/post/crowned-riches-of-embarrassment
<p><img src="/sites/default/files/u807/Black_Widow.jpg" alt="Black Widow" align="left" border="2" height="264" hspace="6" width="250" />Superhero movies have looked an awful lot like fraternity row the past couple of years, and <a href="http://www.cinemablend.com/new/We-Need-More-Female-Superheroes-11450.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">lots</a> <a href="http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/why-the-comic-book-movie-industry-needs-a-female-superhero" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">of</a> <a href="http://jezebel.com/5125675/dude-says-we-dont-need-more-female-superheroes-i-say-bullshit" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">bloggers</a> (including this <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2008/04/where_are_the_roles_for_superwomen.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">female gazer</a>) have been vigorously calling for more celluloid superheroines. And we're not talking about more characters like Halle Berry's Catwoman. No way. We want some quality super women. But despite the generally underwhelming news on this front as of late, I'm crossing my fingers that the latest casting news about<i> Iron Man 2</i> might include some promise for all of us. </p>
<p>Last month, <a href="http://splashpage.mtv.com/2008/12/18/iron-man-2-rumors-cast-tim-robbins-as-howard-stark-hawkeye-black-widow-to-play-big-roles/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">rumors</a> started started popping up that super spy Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) might be appearing in <i>Iron Man 2</i>. Yesterday, <a href="http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117998515.html?categoryid=13&amp;cs=1&amp;nid=2562" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><i>Variety</i> reported that Emily Blunt may be a frontrunner for the role</a>, lending a whole lot of credence to earlier conjecture. This is potentially great news, because <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Widow_(Marvel_Comics)" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Black Widow</a> might actually be a female comic book character who filmmakers can't screw up when they bring her to the big screen! </p>
<p>So why do I think that Black Widow might be able to avoid the pitfalls of shoddy screenwriting and stereotyping that have befallen other superheroines on screen? </p>
<p><b>Black Widow doesn't have superpowers</b>. Black Widow is an expert martial artist, markswoman, intelligence agent, and former dancer. But despite the fact that she doesn't age much, she's not a mutant. That means her powers can't be taken away from her to amp up the emotional stakes of the film... she won't suffer the same treatment as Mystique (has there ever been a kick ass supervillian so casually tossed away?) in <i>X-Men: The Last Stand</i>. That also means that she won't have to choose between wielding her powers and being with a man like Rogue in <i>X-Men: The Last Stand. </i> Black Widow relies on her skills, and even the crappiest screenwriter can't take those away from her.</p>
<p><b>Since Black Widow doesn't have superpowers, she will never be emotionally overwhelmed by them, or become too powerful to rationally use them.</b> If we learned anything from the way that filmmakers handled Jean Grey's transformation into Phoenix in <i>X-Men: The Last Stand </i>(ok, yes, I have issues with that movie), it's that women can't handle their power - and when they get too powerful, they turn into overwrought witches.</p>
<p><b>Black Widow is not going to be reduced to a bridezilla. </b>Remember <i>Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer</i>? Yeah, that's the movie in which Invisible Woman Sue Storm tried to put saving the world on hold because she wanted to have her special wedding day. That's not likely to happen to Black Widow. </p>
<p><b>Black Widow isn't a conflicted working mother, er, assassin.</b> With any luck, she'll escape Elektra's poorly written fate. </p>
<p><b>Black Widow could never - ever - be re-written to work for a cosmetics company</b>, which prevents any potential <i>Catwoman</i>esque catastrophes.
</p>
<p>So I'm crossing my fingers that Black Widow might actually be an idiot-proof character. And yet... there is the fact that she was romantically linked to Tony Stark for a while, so let's hope that she's not just set up to be Pepper Potts' competition. (Ugh.) But if Black Widow IS awesome, we have a lot of hope. She has worked with a lot of teams (good and bad) throughout her life of espionage, so there's a pretty good chance that she could wind up not just in <i>Iron Man 2</i>, but also in the upcoming <i>Avengers</i> movie and maybe even other future Marvel films. </p>
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http://bitchmagazine.org/post/crowned-riches-of-embarrassment#commentsblack widowCatwomanElektraemily bluntinvisible womanIron ManJean Greymystiquephoenixroguesue stormSuperwomenX-MenMoviesFri, 16 Jan 2009 04:20:18 +0000Tammy Oler1116 at http://bitchmagazine.orgThis Week in Trailers: Beyonce Remakes Fatal Attraction and Paul Rudd Makes...a Brom-Com?http://bitchmagazine.org/post/this-week-in-trailers-beyonce-remakes-fatal-attraction-and-paul-rudd-makesa-brom-com
<strong>Obsessed</strong><br />
Beyonce, Ali Larter (<i>Heroes</i>) and Idris Elba (<i>The Wire</i>) star in this update of the '80's backlash classic <i>Fatal Attraction</i>:<br /><br />
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Obsessed replays the <i>Fatal Attraction</i> formula pretty faithfully, with a few key changes. Instead of an older, successful career woman with biological ticking timebomb who seduces and stalks a man who has been complicit in an affair with her, the villain in <i>Obsessed</i> is a young temp using the workplace as a "hunting ground" who stalks a man guilty of not much more than flirting and making out with her at a holiday party (if the trailer is to be believed, even that is cajoled by Larter's character). Since this is a PG-13 movie, it's not surprising that there's no sex, but this change also seems part of a larger effort to make Elba's character as much a victim as Larter's character is the psycho villian. The trailer works hard to imply that there's a he-said/she-said battle of perceptions here, but it looks like what <i>Obsessed</i> is really tapping into is a male fear of being victimized by a system that women can easily manipulate (as if...) Added to all of that is a climactic girlfight between a half-clothed Larter and Beyonce, who plays the devoted (and, yes, fierce!) wife and mother. My prediction: dumb, dull and offensive.<br /><br />
<strong>I Love You, Man</strong><br /><br />
In <i>I Love You, Man</i>, Paul Rudd stars as a "girlfriend guy" who embarks on a quest to find a best man for his wedding:<br /><br />
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On the one hand, <i>I Love You, Man</i> engages a completely interesting subject: how do men find, cultivate and maintain friendships with other men? On the other hand, the movie seems to reinforce the same gender essentialism that romantic comedies trade in - call it a bromantic comedy. Peter is a buttoned-up, polite guy who prefers the company of women and loves <i>The Devil Wears Prada</i> - as a result, he gets mistaken for being gay. It's only after he meets an uber dude played by Jason Segel that he seems to discover his inner (real? straight?) manliness. Good or bad, are either of these premises weighty enough to actually carry a movie? Probably not, but if the filmmakers add an ample amount of potty humor, they might pull off something close to Apatow-lite. Oddly enough, what I really like about this trailer is Rashida Jones' character. She appears to be a thoughtful, composed, funny, anti-bridezilla who encourages her fiance to explore his own life and interests. That's something you don't see in too many rom-coms - or Judd Apatow films.<br /><br />
<strong>X-Men Origins: Wolverine</strong><br /><br />
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Okay, okay, we get it: Wolverine is, like, an epic superhero. And he's really tortured - after all, he's had at least two of the women he's loved die in his arms! And yeah, this flick is going to be amazing eye candy (Wolverine ghost rides a helicopter! Liev Schreiber is Sabretooth!). But I can't be the only fangirl out there who is at least a little bit disappointed that with the 2006 <i>X-Men: The Last Stand</i> and <i>Wolverine</i>, Marvel has taken the <i>X-Men</i> film franchise in a decidedly boy-centered direction. How long do you think it will be before we get an <i>X-Men Origins: Storm</i> film? Oh, right. Never. Bleah.http://bitchmagazine.org/post/this-week-in-trailers-beyonce-remakes-fatal-attraction-and-paul-rudd-makesa-brom-com#commentsBeyoncehugh jackmanobsessedpaul ruddromantic comedywolverineX-MenMoviesSun, 21 Dec 2008 23:44:12 +0000Tammy Oler1042 at http://bitchmagazine.org